different between crisis vs quandary

English

Etymology

From Latin crisis, from Ancient Greek ?????? (krísis, “a separating, power of distinguishing, decision, choice, election, judgment, dispute”), from ????? (krín?, “pick out, choose, decide, judge”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?k?a?s?s/

Noun

crisis (plural crises)

1. A crucial or decisive point or situation; a turning point.
2. An unstable situation, in political, social, economic or military affairs, especially one involving an impending abrupt change.
3. A sudden change in the course of a disease, usually at which point the patient is expected to either recover or die.
4. (psychology) A traumatic or stressful change in a person's life.

5. (drama) A point in a drama at which a conflict reaches a peak before being resolved.

Derived terms

Related terms

• critic
• critical
• criticize
• critique
• criterion

Translations

Further reading

• crisis in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• crisis in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Asturian

Noun

crisis f (plural crisis)

1. crisis

Catalan

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central, Valencian) IPA^(key): /?k?i.zis/
• Rhymes: -izis

Noun

crisis

1. plural of crisi

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin crisis, from Ancient Greek ?????? (krísis).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?kri.z?s/
• Hyphenation: cri?sis

Noun

crisis f (plural crises or crisissen, diminutive crisisje n)

1. crisis
2. financial crisis

Derived terms

Related terms

• kritiek
• kritisch

Descendants

• ? Indonesian: krisis

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin crisis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kri.?zis/

Noun

crisis f (oblique plural crisis, nominative singular crisis, nominative plural crisis)

1. crisis, emergency; urgent situation

Spanish

Etymology

From Ancient Greek ?????? (krísis, “a separating, power of distinguishing, decision, choice, election, judgment, dispute”), from ????? (krín?, “pick out, choose, decide, judge”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?k?isis/, [?k?i.sis]

Noun

crisis f (plural crisis)

1. crisis
2. attack; fit

Derived terms

• anticrisis
• crisis de comportamiento
• crisis de migraña

Related terms

• crítico

Further reading

• “crisis” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

English

Etymology

16th century. Origin unknown; perhaps a dialectal corruption (simulating a word of Latin origin with suffix -ary) of wandreth (“evil, plight, peril, adversity, difficulty”), from Middle English wandreth, from Old Norse vandræði (“difficulty, trouble”), from vandr (“difficult, requiring pains and care”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?kw?n.d?.?i/, /?kw?n.d?i/
• (Received Pronunciation, dated) IPA^(key): /kw?n?d??.??/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?kw?n.d?.?i/, /?kw?n.d?i/, /?kw?n-/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /?kw?n.d?.?i/, /?kw?n.d?i/
• Hyphenation: quan?da?ry, quand?ary

Noun

quandary (plural quandaries)

1. A state of not knowing what to decide; a state of difficulty or perplexity; a state of uncertainty, hesitation or puzzlement.

   Synonyms: perplexity, pickle, predicament, uncertainty
2. A dilemma, a difficult decision or choice.

   Synonyms: dilemma; see also Thesaurus:dilemma

   • 1995, Robert Frost, Collected Poems, Prose & Plays, page 475

     To quote the oracle of Delphi, / Love thou thy neighbor as thyself, aye, / And hate him as thyself thou hatest. / There quandary is at its greatest.

   • 1995, Douglas N. Walton & Erik C. W. Krabbe, Commitment in Dialogue: Basic Concepts of Interpersonal Reasoning, page 54

     But we may suppose that John has set his priorities in such a way that the quandary is spurious.

   • 2000, Carol Ann Strip & Gretchen Hirsch, Helping Gifted Children Soar, page 208

     What a difficult quandary for a bright, talented child!

   • 2004, Jennifer Traig, Devil in the Details: Scenes from an Obsessive Girlhood, page 181

     Then I would begin contemplating the next quandary: "Does the Torah say it's okay to portray a hooker, and is a heart of gold a mitigating factor?"

Translations

See also

• doubt
• indecision
• dilemma

Further reading

• quandary at OneLook Dictionary Search

References